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1994 Map of Catfish Lake

Name: 1994 Topographic Map of Catfish Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1997
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1997

About this map

Catfish Lake and the surrounding pocosin wetlands dominate this portion of the Croatan National Forest during the mid-1990s. The landscape is defined by vast protected areas, including the Catfish Lake South Wilderness and the Sheep Ridge Wilderness, where the natural drainage of Black Swamp Creek and Brice Creek shapes the swampy terrain. The presence of Sheep Ridge provides a slight topographic variation in an otherwise low-lying environment characterized by several large, shallow Carolina bays like Great Lake and Long Lake.

Access is limited to primitive tracks such as Sheep Ridge Road, Moyle Road, and Copperhead Lane, reflecting the area's conservation status. The boundary between Jones and Craven counties runs through the dense forest and marshland, highlighting the remote nature of this coastal plain ecosystem just before the turn of the twenty-first century. This survey is a detailed record of water levels and forest management boundaries in one of North Carolina's most distinctive wilderness complexes.